Rim-contracting tool



May 29, 1928.

- 1,671,667 c. B. CARVER HIM CONTRACTING TOOL Filed April 28, 1925 (HQ) any G/Zarjag 3 Cari/er Patented May 29, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 4

CHARLES 1B. cnnviia or nrx minus, MICHIGAN.

nmconrnncrme modal Original application filed Jul as, 1923, Serial No. 654,311. "named and this application filed April as.

1925. Serial No. 26,337.

This invention relates to a tool for use in connection with rims for the tires of wheels, for instance, pneumatic tires, which rims,

for the sake of facilitating introduction into 5 and removal from the tires, are split or rendered collapsible.

This application is a division of application, Serial No. 654,311, filed July 28, 1923,

for Letters Patent for demountable rims,

which said application has become U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,535,398, dated April 28, 1925. The tool" herein described and claimed is'designed primarily for use in the manipulation of a rim constructed and functioning substantially as described in said Letters Patent, but it may be used in connection withrims of other construction and operation. v i i The object of the present invention is to provide a contracting tool for tire rims of the contractile type, and the invention proceeds upon the principle ofso constructing the tool-thatit will be adapted to establish a stepping bearing on one end of the split rimjand a lifting connection with the other end thereof, then, by thefman'ipulation of a controlling lever, may perform the function of lifting the one end relatively to the other, whiledrawing the two ends together to conao tract the rim,"the cont-rollinglever being preferably equipped for such engagement with the contracted rim as will serve to hold the tool in contracting position until it may be desired to release the rim for re-expansion under its inherent resiliency. The invention resides in the novel features of construction and operation substantially as hereinafter described and as particularly pointed out in the claims. 1

In the accompanying draWing- Figure 1 shows, in sectional elevation, a portion of a split tire rimwith a tire thereon, and the tool constituting the subjectmatter of the present invention assembled in operative relation thereto, the positions of the parts previous to contraction of the rim being shown in full lilies, and the positions incident to complete contraction as well as the interlock of the controlling lever withv 5 the contracted rim being shown in dotted lines. l a

Figure 2 is a plan view of'parts shown in Figure 1 and with the tool inthe position shown in full lines therein.

Figure 3 is a sectional view onthe line 3*-3 of Figure 1, showing the means for releasably interlocking the controlling lever with the rim when the parts are in contracted position.

3 1 represents a pneumatic tire, and 2 a rim adapted for, use in connection therewith, in accordance with established practice, said rim being adapted to be collapsed or'cont'racted in dimension in order to facilitate its introduction Within or removal from the tire, to which end the rim is split transversely at some suitable point in its circumference, for instancepas shown at 3. The a particular construction of rim 2, in connection "with which the present inven tion is illustrated, involves, in addition to the mere feature of the split, the structural feature of 1 a removable segment as described and claimed in the Letters Patent above identified, so that the opening'3 is of substantial circumferential dimension; but while the tool of the'present inventionis well adapted for contractinga rimof this constructiomit isobvi'ously not limited in its application to such a rim, but might be used in connection with other rims by the mere expedient of properlylocating the stepping bearing for the lever-and the opening for connecting the pick-up link which charact-erize'the tool now to be described. i 4 represents a contracting lever pivoted at 5to a fulcruming step 6 which is provided with a stepping base 7 adapted to enter arecess 8 in the end 2 of the rim somewhere I near the split 3, thereby establishing an iminflating stem 9 in theprocess of contraction V and expansion of the rim within the tire. The portion of-tl1e stepping base 7 that receives the step 6 is preferably offset laterally from the part that enters the recess 8, so that said base will impose the load of the lever directly upon the i'nnerface of the rim and present an offset portion 10 for the reception of a turn-button 11, suchas is usually provided at the end of the split rim for the purpose of holding the meeting portions of the rim in circumferential alignment. Lever 4: is further equipped with means for engaging and lifting the other end of the rim, which means is preferably in the nature of a hook 12, herein called a face-hook, be-

cause, while adapted to enter a recess 13 formed radially through the end of the rim, its members embrace the inner and outer faces of the rim and bind the hook not only against displacement but against pivotal action, and better adapt the hook to deflect the moving ends of the rim inward; and this face-hook 12 is pivotally connected at a point- 14 remote from the recess 13, to a link 15 which is in turn swiveled at 16 to the lever 1 Link 15-and the end 4 of the lever at, when connected with the respective ends of the rim, are adapted to act as a toggle,

1 one end of which has a fixed fulcrum, and

the other end of which has a lifting connection; this toggle functions in a manner to lift the end 2" of the rim 2 as the lever 4 is swung from the full line position to the dotted line position shown in Figure 1, and at the same time contract the rim sufficiently tofacilitate itswithdrawal from and return to a tire. In order to lock the lever 4 in the dotted line position of Figure 1 and thereby hold the rim in contraction, said lever is provided with an undercut lug l7, rigidly united therewith at an intermediate pointin its length and with a presentation of the undercut that adapts the lug to engage the flangetl of the rim and to be brought into such engagement by continuing radius-moven'ient of the lever until the lug passes the rim flange, and then deflectin the lever laterally to engage the lag behind the flange, whereupon, the lug will be automatically held in locking position by the resiliency of the implement, and the rim and the portion of the lever which lies outwardly beyond-the lug will not only serve as the means for moving the lug into and out of interlock. with the rim, but will remain as a handle to assist in passing the rim into and out of the tire. With the rim contracted and held in this position, it can be conveniently handled as a unit in assembling it with or disassembling it from a. tire; and when returned to the tire, the rim may readily be released for'expansion within the tire by merely springing the lever 4 sideways sufiiciently to disengage lug 17 from flange 2 The location of the recesses 8 and 13 will, of course, be selected to insurethe proper throw of the lifted and retracted end of the rim relatively to the stationary end. These recesses are shown practically at the endsof the rim in the present instance because of the particular construction of rim selected for purposes of illustration.

I claim:

1. In a rim contracting tool the combination of a handle pivoted to a fulcrum base, said base having a flat portion for entering a portion of a rim in a radial direction and 7 adapted to be secured by locking means, and aihook facing said fulcrum base for radial engagement with another portion of the rim and connected to said lever for pulling said portion of the rim tov contract said rim.

2. In a rim contracting tool the combination of a handle bent to clear said rim, said handle being pivoted to a fulcrum base, said base havinga flat portion for entering a slotin a rim in a radial direction and for 

